June 02, 2010

The Rapid City Flood of 1972 (MP3)

Next week will mark the 38th anniversary of the deadly flood that tore through Rapid City, South Dakota on June 9 and 10, 1972. Like the recent flooding that pulverized Tennessee, the Rapid City flood left incredible property damage in its wake. Unlike Tennessee however, where, fortunately, only a small handful of people died, the Rapid City flood claimed a horrifying 238 lives.

In 2007, the Rapid City Public Library launched a digital archive that collects survivors' stories, photographs, and news accounts of the flood and its aftermath.

Comments

One of the lingering issues surrounding our recent flooding here is with the Army Corps of Engineers and their involvement with releasing some 5.3 billion gallons of water Sunday May 2 from the Old Hickory Dam. This action resulted in a significant additional rush of flood water downstream towards Nashville. Some communities who are nearby went from high and dry to 4 feet and rising. It blindsided them and a lot of other people who are now considering a lawsuit claiming that this release was criminal. What they do not realize, it seems, is that if the Corps did not release this additional water the dam was within *7 inches* of being overrun and possibly collapsing. IF that would have happened it is likely that there would have been an unprecedented number of drownings. Was a wild 48 hours to say the least....